VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Actress and comedienne Whoopi Goldberg launches her new business venture with partner Maya Elisabeth, called ‘Whoopi & Maya’. The business is a product line of marijuana-infused products along with other medicinal plants that help alleviate symptoms of PMS. Product prices are not yet disclosed.

MindMaze has secured a total of $100 million funds from an early round led by India’s Hinduja Group. MindMaze, which until now is focusing on developing virtual reality interfaces in the healthcare sector aims to form future contracts and service centers, as well as expanding the technology for other uses in the form of gaming, educational and fitness applications.

Takata Corp, a manufacturer of airbags used in vehicles for consumer safety, will announce its restructuring plan to automakers in May. The restructuring plan is expected to include the sharing of recall costs. The defective airbags are forcing automobile majors to recall millions of cars.

Rents in London were up over eight percent, while overall national average was 4.8 percent in 2015. Majority of millennials prefer rented accommodation rather than buying a house or flat. Millennials are not bothered about maintenance works and other mortgage tension these days. The Generation Rent also considers buying a property is very expensive.

Getting low-risk yield has been one of the toughest challenges for retirees ever since the financial meltdown of 2008-2009. Interest rates are near zero, and many retirees are nervous about bonds out of fear that rates might jump.

Palo Alto, US-based late-stage investment firm Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV) raised $2.23 billion for its eighth growth equity fund from European and Asian private and public pension funds, financial institutions and other investors.

Entrepreneurs’ most frequent complaint is how challenging it is to raise money, especially risk capital; founders in developing countries have even more difficulty since the amounts of venture money for investment in most emerging markets is less vs. the USA.

The single largest stock holding of Soros Fund Management in the fourth quarter is Israeli drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Reuters reported citing a February 14 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Private equity giant KKR will be withdrawing two funds targeted for individual investors, a move that is seen as a blow to its efforts to grow its product offerings beyond institutional investors, Reuters reported.

Teen apparel retailer Aeropostale, which had posted losses for four straight quarters, is reportedly mulling over a capital increase from private equity investors. Should the teen apparel retailer decide to raise capital, Aeropostale may do it via a private investment in public equity (PIPE) deal.

Water technology investments have not been popular, but the threat of drought and concerns about a fast-growing population has started a slow change in this area, Gigaom reported.

Japanese retail investors ramped up their buying of foreign securities via toshins, or investment trusts, this month after they sold a large amount in December ahead of a capital gains tax hike, according to Nomura.

Schaft Inc Co-Founder Takashi Kato has launched 246 Capital, a fund that seeks to invest in technologies by Japanese startups and universities not noticed by investors, Bloomberg reported.

State-owned investment firm Temasek Holdings Pte. Ltd. is considering to offer bonds to individual investors in Singapore. Temasek's current $10 billion medium-term bond program offers securities to institutions.

Commerzbank is anticipating opportunities to expand its wealth management business after Swiss Credit Suisse Group sold its private bank in Germany to Bethmann Bank last month.